Though Carson Wilde calls Missoula, Montana home these days, growing up in Glenwood Springs instilled in him a deep love for the outdoors and adventure. He spent his early years trying out all kinds of activities, from rafting to biking, and developed a passion for climbing.
Rock climbing introduced him to people and places, including his business partner, Walt Hailes. This past autumn, Wilde and Hailes launched a fundraising campaign for the Summit Seeker, a training product for backpackers, climbers and trekkers to wear weighted packs with less physical discomfort and strain. The Sopris Sun connected with Wilde via email to learn more about the Summit Seeker backstory and vision.
How did you and Hailes meet?
Walt and I met back in 2011. He had just opened a small climbing gym in Missoula and I was a dirtbag climber in need of a job and a place to train. Fortunately for me, he was desperate for help and had to take what he could get. Our relationship evolved over the years … to us becoming partners in other ventures such as the Summit Seeker.
What are some of your past business endeavors?
Walt and I are old hands at all the pains associated with business. He owns Freestone Climbing in Missoula which has now grown into a much larger operation with over 40 employees. I myself have a few companies. Graphite Thread Works is my soft goods design and development business of the past 14 years. I am also a partner in Lolo Hardware which is a young company that produces all of its products in-house in Montana; it started mostly with technical hoodies and headwear for the outdoors and now is starting to expand into bags.
What inspired the Summit Seeker product?
The idea for the Summit Seeker was Walt’s brainchild. When he’s not busy guiding climbers on summits around the world, he works as a research scientist in the field of physiology. A lot of the work he does centers around load carriage. He needed a way to easily and securely load a wide variety of backpacks with drastically different amounts and types of weights. He then approached me with his problem. After the first few quick prototypes it started to become clear to us that this product had more potential and uses beyond just research.
Who do you anticipate using the Summit Seeker?
The potential customer base for the Summit Seeker is really broad, essentially anyone looking to add a little more general fitness and strength would benefit from walking with a little weight in a backpack. Narrowing it down for the initial launch, we are really focusing on people looking to train for activities like backpacking, alpinism, ski touring, climbing, thru-hiking, trail running … We also have a few people using it as part of their physical therapy protocol, like trail runner Adam Peterman.
What do you find exciting about the product?
The thing that gets me excited about the Summit Seeker is the potential it has to really change people’s training and fitness for the outdoors. The only real way to train for carrying a backpack with weight in it is to do it. There are other “rucking” products in the market but the Summit Seeker lets you use your existing gear.
You can take the bag that you already own and plan on using for your backcountry trek or adventure and use whatever you can get your hands on for the weights. You don’t need to purchase a special backpack and then also a special weight to go in that special backpack to only use for the sole purpose of training.
This is where the design nerd in me gets amped. I have designed and developed countless numbers of technical backpacks and frames and every single one feels and carries differently — especially when you are out in the real world. The Summit Seeker lets you train with the gear you plan on using, so when it comes time for you to lace up your boots for the big trip you know exactly how your bag is going to feel and move with you.
Has the lack of Kickstarter engagement shifted your timeline?
Walt and I have a few talents but marketing is not one of them. We set off with the intention that we would just make the product and bring it to market, then we looked into Kickstarter. More than anything, it seemed like a simple way to get more eyes on the Summit Seeker. It was successful in that we ended up getting a good amount of engagement and interested parties. But people wanted to purchase the product directly without having to go through all the steps that Kickstarter requires when you try and back a product. We still plan on bringing the product to market hopefully by the end of this year. We are currently in the process of reviewing samples from our factories and making the final tweaks before entering full production.
You can learn more about Wilde and Hails’ Summit Seeker product on Youtube at www.youtube.com/@SummitSeekerCo or Instagram at www.instagram.com/summitseeker.co